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Safe Schools: A letter to the Premier.

A week ago, on 22 March 2016, we wrote a letter to the Premier of Victoria, Mr Daniel Andrews, on the subject of 'Safe Schools'. We have no had a reply of any sort, not even an acknowledgement. We thought it would be appropriate to publish it here.
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G’day Daniel,

I am writing to you to protest your government’s decision to continue to enforce the so called ‘Safe Schools’ program in its present form.

As you are no doubt aware there are very significant questions about this program in significant parts of the community. Some of these are:

It purports to be an anti bullying program, but instead it promotes the views on sexuality of a very small minority of the community. Views that a very significant part of the community find repugnant. Views that many parents of the kids that will be forced to undergo this program have very significant reservations about.

It is very difficult to believe this is an anti bullying program when the man charged to implement it, Education Minister James Merlino, describes opponents as ‘bigots’, as reported on the ABC News website. This term of abuse is bullying in itself. This indicates to me that either Mr Merlino doesn’t know what bullying is, or that the program has other aims. Mr Merlino isn’t the only one using terms of abuse to other people who object to the program.

That seems to be corroborated by the architect of the program, Roz Ward, who says that the program is not about stopping bullying, but about gender and sexual diversity...about being lesbian, gay, bisexual...transgender, intersex. Not just ‘be nice to everyone’. The opinions of parents don’t matter.

This is a bit different that when your government effectively stopped religious instruction in schools. Parents have to opt in. Religious instruction teachers were not to proselytise. Through the ‘Safe Schools’ program it seems that the LGBTI community is not only free to proselytise, but is funded to do so. To proselytise vulnerable kids into a very unsafe lifestyle. It is very inconsistent and unfair and foolish of your government to do that.

The program is claimed to be a program that will reduce bullying and therefore lower the suicide rate by young gay people. But there is no proof that reducing the bullying will do that anyway. Many people in society are bullied for a variety of reasons and do not have the same elevated rate of suicide that young gay people to. So it is obvious that bullying is not the key factor. Something else is causing the elevated suicide rate. Someone needs to have the courage to properly investigate that, so we can actually help young same sex attracted people. Instead of the proselytising program that your government is presently promoting.

There is a pretty arrogant attitude in regard to parents. They are told they really have no option. Their kids are forced to undergo this proselytization by the LGBTI community. They are not allowed to be told a Christmas story, but are forced to be indoctrinated by a very radical group of people who have at the very least been less than honest about their true aims.

Daniel, this is not smart of you. We are very disappointed in your leadership on this, especially given that the federal government has reviewed this and made some significant changes. We urge you to change this and follow the changes the feds have put in place.